Many elementary teachers encounter science lessons with a hands-on component that requires very little engaged thinking by the students. The good news is that any teacher can create successful minds-on inquiry opportunities by adding key instructional strategies to a typical "cookbook" activity. The authors discuss some of these strategies using a…

This is one the fourth in a series of reports that examine key issues related to family and community connections with schools. These research syntheses are intended to help local school, community, and family leaders obtain useful information derived from rigorous research. In addition to presenting findings from recent research, the synthesis…